Lock for motor-vehicles.



A. ozERowlcz. Lock FOR M ooR VEHICLES. lAPPLICATION F'LED NOV. l0. 1917.

PatentedJunels,1918.`l

W'z-SHEETs-SHEETI.

NM.. mi. n

' akkus,

A. ozowlcz. LOCK FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION lFILED NOVl 111,'1911.

1 Patented June 18, 1918. f

. Eig PE .n

WANN

Y`being .had to the accompanying drawings,

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

ALEXANDER OZEROWICZ, OF HAMTRAMGK, MICHIGAN.

yLOCK FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

' Original application led'July 5,1917,

To all whom t may concern yBe it kno-wn that I, ALEXANDER OznRowIoz, citizen of Russia, residing at Hamtramck, `county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have .invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks for Motor-Vehicles, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,`such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which .it pertains to make and use the same, reference which form a part of this specification.

Y My invention relates to a lock for the steering wheel of motor driven vehicles. v l5' This-is a divisional application of the patentgranted to me December 11, 1917 No. 1,249,471, `forilocksffor motor vehicles.

l "One ofthe objects of the rpresent invention lis to provideimeans' whereby thesteering wheel of a motor vehicle may be temporarily 'thrown out of operative relationv with the steering post by the owner upon leaving the vehicle, .that'it may not be driven by an unauthorized person during his absence.

1 Another object of lthe invention is to pro- :vide an audible signal in connection with the locking mechanism whereby the owner, knowing the 4predetermined fnumber of revolutions required to release the locking'means following thesignal, may actuate the mechanism accordingly, that the boltV by which that portion of the post connected with the steering wheel is held inoperative relation withthe lower half ofthe steering post may -bez Withdrawn yand the steering wheel locked in aninoperative relation thereto.

With'the foregoing and other objects yin y-view which will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and details of construction hereinafter described and Aclaimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be-made without de- .partingfrom the spirit of the same.

In .the accompanyingy drawings forming ypart of this invention- Figure 1 is a plan viewof the device attached 4to the sleeve ofthe steering post,- shown in cross-section,-with a portion of the case brokenawa to disclose a part of the mechanism inclose therein.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional Qf-Zof Fig.: 1. Fi' if' 3 i543 j line B eFig.- l

view on line Specication of Letters Patent.

horizontahsectional view ony Patented 'Julie 1s, 191s.

Serial No. 178,755. Divided and this application led November 10,

1917. Serial No. 201,226. l

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional' view on line 4-4 lof Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view von line 5 5 of Figll. r

J A denotes the uppery portion of a steering post to which asteering wheel (not shown) is secured. A indicates the lower portion of the steering post controlling'the inclination nates the usual sleeve surrounding the steering lpost. C indicates a bearing secured within the sleeve carrying the ends of the upperiz:

and lower portion of thel steering post. D denotes a gear keyed to theupper portion Ag--and D isa similar gear lkeyed to the lower portion A of the steering post.I

E indicates afshaft the ends of which pro-v .'r

ject through elongated slots in the casing F, which is in Vturn secured to and supported by the sleeve B, surrounding the steering post. G and G are pinions keyed or pinned to the shaft E, andl adapted to respectively mesh with the gears D and D', of the steering post. I-I indicates a rack bar having an aperture at one end to receive the shaft E,

which is free to turn therein. 'I denotes a shaft journaled in the 'walls 'of the'fcasing- I is a pinion carried by the shaft II,`in mesh with the teeth of the rack-bar I2 is a milled head on the end .ofA the shaft I, for manually rotating the-pinion I. is a post vided drum comprising an upper and 'lower portion K and K. Integral with each section of the drum is a gear k, and c, in mesh supported between the upper and lower walls of the casing on which is loosely 'sleeved a diwith pinions Z, Z, mounted on the squared `portion of the shaft-L, journaled in the casfing. Sleeved on the shaft L, 'are ratchet gears M and M, the teeth of which are vadapted to interlock with like ratchet teeth formed on the hub of the pinionsl Z, Z-,'-the` 'the pinions Z and Z. v

' O is a disk pinned to theishaft'L, 'having' 1f graduations adapted to be read in 'conjunction with the graduations Aon the annular concentric collar O, enclreling the disk and attaehedto the casa L is a thumb piece n' carried by tlieshaft L, for convenience'in manually rotating the latter. P indicates a signal bell supported by the case, and P are spring actuated clappers tripped by an 5adjustable pin P2, carried by each of thel gears la, vand -"f:',-+each of-said gears having a plurality of holes p, to provide for the adjustment of the pin P2, whereby the arbi- `traryrdegree of rotation :desired yto be given to the drum to bring both portions yK and .K' of the drum .into coordination may be altered as desired. l

.Formed ,inthe abutting edges of portions K vand `K', .of .the drum are semicircular recesses K2., which when brought into opposition through the Vmanual adjustment of -the shaft L, form a circular apertureadapted to receivea sliding bolt R, in'turn shifted by a Vmanually.operated zrocking arm S, pivoted -to the wall of the case. Housed within 4a recess formed in the end of the rockingarm is afspringzactuated tongue S', fthe project- .ing-endet. which is adapted to enter a depression R, in the rbolt Rg-the arrangement providing for a free movement of the bolt, in either ldirection through the opera- `tiono the rocking arm. v H', 'H2 are spaced apertures formed inthe rack-bar H, into either of `which the sliding bolt R 'may be manually projected, and when engaged with the rack-bar as shown in full lines .in Fig. .v3-serves to secure .the -gears G and Gr', in meshed relation with thegears D and 'D' 'of the steering posa-#thereby connecting the 'steering Wheelatt-ached to the upper portion A, ofthefpost, in operative relation with the lower Avportion of ythe 'steering post.

K3, ,Kaiare dogs respectively engaging the teeth of the upper and lower portions K and K', of .the drum, to provide against accidentall .displacement of either part due to `friction .between the abutting edges ythereof when eitherfportionof the drum isrotated.

Having indicated .the several parts lby `reference letters, the construction and operationof theidevicevwill be readily understood.

The upper .portion of the steering post to which the steering wheel (not shown) is -connected being independent of the lower portion of ythe post controlling the inclina- -tion of the road lwheels of the vehicle, it is impossibleto guide the vehicle until the upper and lower `portions of the post are connected in operative relation.

. This Iresult is obtainedby vmanually shifting the .pinions G and yGQ-through the adjustmentof the rack bar H, and pinion 1,- 4into.intermeshing'relation with the gears D and D', respectively carried bythe upper and lower-portions of the steering post. It will thusebeseen that. the upper and lower .portionsfofA the steering post may be rotated by the .steering wheel (not. shown) asa unit.

-lnorder. to` secure 'the respective Agears D, G, 65 and D', G', in respective intermeshing relaxeratinggears M,M., and lo, idf-until one or .both of the recesses K2, of the drum areout tion until it is again yfdesired to disconnect the steering wheel, the sliding bolt R is thrust through the operation of the rocking arm S, into the aperture H' of the rack-bar, as shown in F ig. 3. To secure 'the sliding bolt in its locked relation with'the raclibar, the upper portion K, or lower portion K', (or both) of the drum are rot-ated by the manual operation of zthe shatt L, `and copof register with the Iend of the 4sliding bolt.;the iimperforated portion of the vdrum securing thesliding bolt against return until it is again desired .to release the same.

To'release the sliding bolt frointhe aperture H', .of the rack-bar `that the gears Gr and G', supported thereby may be withdrawn from intermeshing rela-tion` with those carried by the steering post, therespeetive portions K :and K', of the drum must'be rotated so that thelsemicircular ire- .cesses Kofeach are l:in .opposition and in register withthe end ofthesliding bolt. The number of revolutions 'to/.be :given each portionof the drum-to secure this result is arbitrary and may be varied as required, butin Iorder that the owner of the vehicle .may `be lable to adjust the drumso that the :sliding bolt may-be operated, the signal bell 1P, `(the clappers of which are tripped by :the vremovable pins P2, carried by each sectioniof the drum) is provided,andzupon'the alarm being sounded the operator starts Yto count the .predetermined number ofcloekwise vand counter-.clockwise vrevolutions necessary to bring the semicircular 'recesses ,of each section ofthe drum into opposition and ktinto ,alinement with .the end .of the slidingbolt.

Vthen forced intofthe aperture SH2 'of -the rack-bar andfthe idrum rotated as previously explained, J'thus securing-the pinionsGr and Gr vin disengaged relation to lthe gearsD and fD', ofthe upper .fand lower sectionsof the .steering-post and thereby rendering fthe steering wheel ineffective for controllingithe `direction of the vehicle,-it being possible,

however, to still tow the vehicle as required -by Vthe .police yand .lire ordinances fof :many

cities. To'again lock the steering wheel fto .thelower portionof the steering post, vthe operation previously :described li-s Irepeated.

Having thus describedmy'invention, what 125 I claim .isz-

1. In a device of the character described,

r a divided steering fp'ost,y a .gearkeye'd to each portion. o f the post, alaterally movable shaft, pinions keyed to the shaft, a rack-bar coupled at one end to the movable shaft, a pinion in mesh with the rack-bar, means for manually rotating the pinion to shift the rack-bar, whereby the rst named pinions may be brought into intermeshing relation with the gears carried by the steering post that the latter may be operated as a unit, or released therefrom as desired, and means for locking the rack-bar in either of said positions.

2. In a device of the character described, a divided steering post, a gear keyed to each portion of the post, a sleeve for the post, a oase supported by said sleeve, a laterally *movable shaft projecting through slots in the case, pinions keyed to the shaft adapted to be brought into mesh with the gears of the steering post or released therefrom, a rack bar coupled to the shaft, a manually rotatable pinion for shifting the rack-bar, and means for locking the rack-bar, whereby the pinions may be held in cooperation or released relation to the gears of the steering ost. f p Inv testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

, ALEXANDER OZEROWICZ. Witnesses:

S. E. THOMAS, N. H. HOUSE.

Copie: of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latenti, Washington, D. C. 

